


Budding, Blooming, Breddy

by Nightbreeze987



Series: Twoset oneshots! [3]
Category: TwoSet, Twosetviolin, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Ballroom Dancing, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Established Relationship, M/M, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:46:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24482251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightbreeze987/pseuds/Nightbreeze987
Summary: Just an indulgent fic with a lot of attention to outfits and flower aestheticsAlternative title: the 3 times flowers played a major role in their lives and the development of their relationship
Relationships: Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Series: Twoset oneshots! [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749748
Comments: 11
Kudos: 42





	Budding, Blooming, Breddy

** First Sight **

Brett had never known what it was like to fall in love and meet his soulmate. Casual crushes, eye candy, lustful infatuation, yes, but never true love. He’d always thought it would involve birds flying, butterflies in his stomach and slow-motion sparkles everywhere, the red string connecting their ring fingers glowing like a beacon. Never would he have expected that his first brush with love started with a bump on the shoulder, a shattered pot and dirt flying everywhere. 

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” Brett snapped, struggling to stand up, brushing the dirt off his knees and apron. That pot was inexpensive and, thankfully, only filled with dirt. He turned to glare at the man behind him and his stomach dropped. “Oh shit! Sorry, man, you okay?” The stranger grabbed his elbow and checked his hands, a look of concern furrowing his brows. Brett gaped like a fish at the man before him, dressed in a black tailcoat and a pure white shirt, complete with a white bowtie, and a violin case slung over his shoulder. His gold wire-rimmed glasses and curly hair made him look like a K-pop idol, charming and handsome. Brett was speechless as the man passed him a strip of paper, torn from a page of sheet music. “Call me later at 10.30pm, I have a concert to rush for!” And just like that the handsome stranger was gone, yelling, “I’ll pay you back later!”

Brett could hardly believe his luck. Such a catch and he’d already gotten his number! He fidgeted and glanced at the clock. _10.23pm. Is it too early to call? Maybe he has an encore._ Brett waited a few more minutes, fussing with his hair and brushing the dirt off his apron. He rearranged a few of the flowers in the vase near the window, replacing one bloom that was about to break off its stalk. He placed the broken bud in his apron pocket, intending to throw it away later. _10.30pm, here goes._

After a few rings, the call connected. “Hello?”

“Hi, um… You bumped into me, broke my pot and gave me your number just now.” Real smooth, Brett.

“Oh yeah! I’m on my way to your shop now, if you’re still there.” The man panted lightly. Brett listened carefully and could make out quick footsteps over the line. “Yeah, I’m still here, hope it’s not a hassle for you.”  


“Nah, it’s along my way home. I’m here.” Brett turned to spot that stranger at the door, smiling apologetically. He hung up and walked in, hand out in preparation for a handshake. “Hey, man. I’m really sorry for earlier, I was in a rush. I’m Eddy.” Brett shook his hand and reeled in the way it enveloped his in a firm yet gentle handshake. 

“It’s fine, dude. It’s really no big deal, you don’t have to pay for it.” Brett shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. _Then why did I call him?_ He mentally slapped himself. Eddy tilted his head to the right, “But, I have to pay you back somehow. I can’t just knock a guy over and break his pot and leave. That’s only acceptable if I were Link from Legend of Zelda.” 

Brett snorted, “So you’re a nerd too.”

“Oh, you play Zelda too? Nice.” Eddy grinned.

Brett bit his lip and nodded at the violin on his back. “If you play for me, I’ll accept that as a payment and you can resolve your guilt.”

Eddy stared for a second before he raised his brows, closed his eyes and nodded, “I see you are a man of culture as well.” He slung the violin case to his front and laid it on the counter, the only place that was relatively dirt-free. “What pieces do you know of?”

“Play me whatever you played earlier at the concert.”

“The concert or the encore?” Eddy took his violin out and tightened his bow hair.

“What were the pieces?” Brett perched on the stool beside his worktable.

“I played the Sibelius Violin Concerto for the concert and Sarasate’s Navarra for the encore with the concertmaster. You might not have heard of them.”  
  
“Oh, so you’re a soloist?”  
  
“Yeah, it was just my second solo concert.”

“Navarra then.”  
  
“I only have one violin though,” Eddy turned from where he was tuning to see Brett appear from the back of the shop without his apron, holding a violin of his own. “Dude! You know how to play?”

“Yeah, I trained in an orchestra in Sydney before I moved here. Was a soloist twice and concertmaster once.” Brett tuned his violin and smirked at Eddy. 

“Wow, I’ve such luck to meet a professional like you!” Eddy’s face, which was previously strained with fatigue, broke into an expression of admiration and delight. Brett blushed, “Same to you.”

Eddy stood with Brett in the middle of the shop, breathed in and started, leading in first violin. They moved in perfect harmony, synchronised and amazed at the other’s skill. Eddy glanced over and made eye-contact with Brett, grinning so wide that he could barely see his fingers moving on the fingerboard. They swayed in time with the music, immersed in the rhythm and emotions. Brett kept his gaze locked on Eddy, catching his physical cues and playing in time with him. At the end, with a flourish of their bows, they both opened their eyes to the small group of late-night partygoers crowding the front of the store, gazing in astonishment. They exchanged gentle smiles and bowed to the drunken whoops and applause from the group, who soon disappeared into the night.

“Bro, that was amazing!” Eddy exclaimed. “We should practice together, you’re like my duet soulmate, dude.” Brett sat on his stool, incredulous. “We didn’t even rehearse together, that- How did…? Huh?” Eddy clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re just that good! You could follow my lead so well!”

“No, it was your cues! You’re so good at leading, it’s easy to read you both visually and audibly! Like, sure we had some slip-ups but we were so in tune! I can’t believe it…” Stunned, Brett ruffled his hair with his right hand and they both moved to put their violins away when there was a sudden tug that restricted their left hands from moving. Brett’s eyes widened as a thin line of red, almost invisible, appeared, linking their left hands together. “No way…” They said in sync. 

Numbers were exchanged, excitedly promising another meeting in the near future. Before Eddy left, Brett slipped the flower in his pocket into Eddy’s breast pocket, a white Peruvian lily standing out in stark contrast against the black jacket.

* * *

** Last Dance  **

“A masquerade ball?” Brett raised a brow at the satin, embossed envelope and elegant calligraphy.

“Yeah, arranged by my orchestra director as an end-of-year celebration. I won’t be playing in the band, so I can spend time with you. What do you think; wanna be my plus one?”

“I’m not really into ballroom dancing, though.” Brett wrinkled his nose and handed the envelope back, trying not to get it muddy. He had been potting a dozen tulips before Eddy waltzed in.

“We don’t have to really ballroom dance. We can just sway and twirl all we want, it’s just for fun!” Eddy pulled the puppy dog eyes out and Brett was weak. “Besides, I owe you for last week when I missed our anniversary. Again, I’m really sorry, the conductor needed another first chair and I was the only one who was already familiar with the symphony.” Eddy rested his chin on Brett’s shoulder from behind, trying not to get in his way. Brett swept the workbench clean and wiped his hands on the cloth at his waist, “I’ll think about it.” Eddy beamed and gave him a peck on the cheek before slipping the envelope into Brett’s back pocket, groping his bum as he left. 

“Eddy?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ll have to find me there.”

A week later, on a cool Saturday evening, Eddy arrived at the ballroom of the hotel. He was dressed in a tailored black satin tailcoat with teal green and gold embroidery, elegant and regal. He’d had this made for his next solo recital and planned to wear it to the ball first. He paired it with matching high waisted slacks, a black velvet sash, shiny black leather shoes and a grey shirt with a deep emerald bowtie. He wore contact lenses and had a teal mask studded with gold and emerald plastic stones over his eyes, tied to the back of his head. He looked around to try and spot Brett but was caught up in the whirl of colour and dancing skirts. He eventually found his way to the old orchestra director, Mr Murray, standing in the corner in concert blacks and sipping from a glass of champagne. “Mr Chen, brought anyone with you tonight?”

“I did, sir. I’m supposed to meet him here. Wonderful party, by the way.”

“Thank you. Is he the one you told me about?”  
  
“Yes, sir. I’m excited for you to meet him.”  
  
“I’ll see how well he does at the audition, don’t try and sway my judgement.”

Eddy grinned, “I won’t, sir.” He turned to look at the dance floor, watching couples in sweeping gowns and smart suits twirling. He met the gaze of his sister striding towards a gorgeous beauty in a pale pink gown and gave her a thumbs-up. She winked in return and pointed across to where the band was playing. Eddy turned to look and was surprised to see his friend, Ray, chatting with his orchestra buddies. He swam through the crowd and grabbed Ray’s shoulder. He was clad in a suit of midnight blue with silver embroidered music notes scattered across the fabric, a mask covering the right half of his face like the Phantom of the Opera. “Hey, man! Good to see you! Having fun?” Eddy inserted himself into the conversation for few minutes, making small talk, before he resumed his search for his partner. He circled the dance floor scanning all the gentlemen, trying to catch a familiar glimpse. 

A few ladies in matching colours tried to approach him but he politely waved them away, saying he was searching for the restroom. After many refusals, he finally caved and danced with a few people, ensuring he kept a suitable distance between them. He even danced with Ray for fun. Nearing the end of the night, Eddy began to worry if Brett had come at all. He circled the hall, trying to find his beloved and avoiding those who had ulterior motives. One lady seemed particularly insistent, clad in a low-cut rose-pink gown, crooning about a rose needing a leaf to match. Out of the corner of his eye, Eddy finally spied the figure he’d been searching for being twirled around and bowed to the lady apologetically, “I already have my rose waiting for me. I’ll take my leave.” 

Brett was wearing an ivory shirt under a burgundy waistcoat adorned with rose-gold buttons and embroidery, a slim rose tie, and a pair of black slacks and black leather shoes as well. He wore contact lenses as well and his mask was simple, wine-red satin and gold trim with a 2 feathers in the middle of the forehead, one yellow and one red. Brett seemed bewildered at the mass of people, searching for a familiar face as he was twirled from one partner to another. Eddy glided towards him, changing partners until he reached him and bowed, offering his arm to the man in red. Brett quickly said, “I’m sorry, I’m looking for someone. Ask someone else?” 

Eddy chuckled and pulled a flower out of his inner pocket, “Maybe the one you’re searching for is me?” He held it out with his left hand, the red thread glowing gently in their close proximity, lighting Brett’s face up in a pink glow. Eddy placed the white Peruvian lily behind Brett’s ear and took his waist, right hand up and ready. Brett placed his hand in Eddy’s and off they went, twirling to the beat of the waltz. They danced the last 2 waltzes and finally, out of breath, settled down for the final dance of the night, a slow dance with dimmed lights and crooning vocals. As they swayedtogether and held each other tight, Eddy whispered, “I thought you wouldn’t come.”

Brett pressed his lips to Eddy’s jaw, “How could I refuse? Also, why is that dude staring at us?”

Eddy turned them around slowly to the beat of the song, to glance at Mr Murray staring at them. “He’s the orchestra director. He’s invited you to the audition next month by the way.”

“Wait, what?!” Brett exclaimed, louder than he intended, drawing the questioning looks from their neighbouring couples.

“Shhh… We’ll talk later.” Eddy rubbed Brett’s back soothingly.  
  
“You can’t just drop that on me now,” Brett hissed, fearfully watching Mr Murray. “You’ll be fine, babe. I know you can do it.” Eddy kissed his forehead. “I’m glad I got to save my last dance for you.”

“Are you sure this will be the last one for tonight?” Brett breathed beside Eddy’s ear, nipping his earlobe and his tongue darting out to flick against his jaw.

* * *

** First Dance **

Brett was stressed. So stressed he was on the verge of tears, in the flower shop at 3am, having forced his brother to open the door so he could have his breakdown in peace. Brett was in charge of designing their wedding bouquets and he wanted them to be perfect. His idea of perfect, however, varied from day to day. He would trust his intuition and slap 10 types of flower together and call it a day or obsess over it for months. With the added pressure of it being his own wedding, Brett had been planning it for 2 years, since they first talked about marriage.

_“Why can’t your brother take care of the flower arrangements?” Eddy yawned, rolling over to hug Brett like a bolster. “He is in charge of the flower shop now, after all.” Brett placed his phone on his chest and deadpanned, “Same reason you refused to get a live band to play at the reception and made me record a whole album with you just to play there.”_

_“Okay firstly, it’s a romantic gesture so we have a whole album to commemorate our special day that we can show off to our friends! Secondly, I’m not taking any chances. What if they play Canon in D? I’m not going to let any imperfection spoil my wedding day.”_

_“There you go, now stop bothering me, I’ve got flowers to choose.”_

“Hey, Eddy? Yeah, sorry to wake you so late, but your fiancé is having a freakout in the middle of the shop, can you come and fetch him? No, he’s fine… Yeah, he woke me up and made me drive him here… Yeah, cool, thanks bro, I’ll see you.” Brett looked up at his brother from his place on the floor, clutching stalks of flowers and wrapping paper. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“Yeah, you’d better be.” His brother snorted, slipping his phone back into his pocket before sitting next to him and separating the mess of stalks and petals on the floor into small piles. “What are you so worried for? I can help you, you just need to calm down okay? It’s not like it’s the end of the world or something.”

Brett sighed. “I just want things to be perfect. I don’t want to spoil the day with something we’ll regret and tack that onto our marriage, like Mum and Dad.” He grimaced at the memory of their mother often complaining that their father forgot to order confetti for their wedding, resulting in her dragging her entourage of bridesmaids to the restroom to rip up some toilet paper and make do. It was brought up whenever Mum was pissed that their father forgot something or was irresponsible in her eyes. It didn’t happen all the time, but she could make a mountain out of a molehill and bring it up again at the drop of a hat.

“Look Brett, you’re not them. You’re more patient and forgiving and so is Eddy, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to clear up any misunderstandings peacefully. Besides, if you’re so busy worrying about the wedding, you’ll miss out on the important things, like your husband.” 

Brett tried to stop his leg from bouncing and brushed the dirt from his hands. “I guess you’re right.”

As if he were summoned, Eddy appeared at the door, face tight with worry. “I’ll leave the keys with you, Eddy. Lock up after you’re done, I’m going home to sleep.” Just before he left, Brett’s brother turned and said, “Don’t stay too long, you two.”

Eddy sat on the floor next to Brett and placed a hand on his. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I am now. Just can’t decide on the floral arrangements. I know it seems unimportant but I want to make our wedding the most beautiful day, in any way I can. Leaving the wedding planning to Ray and your sister makes my perfectionism and control-freakness act up.” Brett hugged his knees and buried his face in his arms. He mumbled, “I can’t even control this small thing I’m in charge of…” 

Eddy hugged his fiance, kissing the top of his head and his ears. “Hey, we can do this together. You helped me with the music so I’ll help you with the flowers!” Brett lifted his head and peered at Eddy, sighing and willing himself to buck up. They walked around the storage room behind the shop, where the fresh flowers from the nursery and greenhouses were stored in fridges for a maximum of 2 weeks. They browsed separately, picking two bunches of flowers each, one for themselves and one for the other. They came together and gathered the flowers into 2 bundles. Brett got a notepad out and started writing the types and species of flower they chose, eliminating a few due to seasonal differences and suitability for bouquets. They’d agreed to use white and purple lilac for the table settings instead, as it could not survive long in a bouquet. 

The eventual bouquets were as such. For Brett, he’d decided to feature shades of pink, purple and white with some greenery. The ensemble contained dusk pink roses, fragrant pink night-scented stock, rich pink peonies, peach-coloured delphinium and fuchsia waxflowers. To pale the richness of the pinks, he added cream roses, white baby’s breath, white freesia, silver myrtle, white lily of the valley, soft fern fronds, dark green eucalyptus leaves and purple wisteria. Coral Peruvian lilies and purple astragalus were significant to him. The Peruvian lily was the flower that was a key icon in their relationship and the same ones they gifted to each other on their anniversary, albeit in many different colours. The flower symbolises devotion and friendship as they were each other’s best friend. The astragalus flower was Brett’s birthday flower.

For Eddy, he’d chosen a palette of yellow, green and white. His bouquet would contain yellow, green and white carnations, yellow yarrow stalks, yellow daisies, green and white roses, grey-green eucalyptus, yellow freesia, similar fern fronds and white spirea with its dark green leaves. He also chose smaller blooms like white viburnum and gardenias, lending the bouquet a delicate touch.His birth flower, yellow gladiolus, was included and white Peruvian lilies completed the look. Their bouquets shared several types of flowers in different colours, resulting in bouquets that shared many similarities but were unique in their own rights, just like themselves. 

Thus when they each received their bouquet on their special day and had their first touch before the ceremony, hidden from each others’ eyes, they spent a long while holding hands and staring at the flowers, dizzy with emotion. It took Ray and Belle considerable cajoling to get them to let go. 

And when Brett walked down the aisle, resplendent in an ivory tailcoat and pants and a dove-grey shirt, holding the fragrant pink mass of flowers, Eddy felt like all the breath had left his lungs as he stared in wonder at his fiancé. Eddy was clad in a dove-grey suit and a white shirt, both of them sporting their matching white orchestral bowties. By the time Brett reached the alter, they were both wiping at their eyes with handkerchiefs. Just before the priest began to speak, Eddy pulled two short stalks of white Peruvian lily from his bouquet, which he had shortened by himself in the dressing room, and placed one in Brett’s breast pocket, Brett sniffling and doing the same for him.

Saying two words, with such weight and responsibility behind them, had never been easier.

**Author's Note:**

> I insist that Ray and Belle would have arranged to play Elgar's Salut d’Amour (violin and piano) at the wedding reception and they would have cried more. True story babes, I was up late lying in bed just like Brett, losing sleep (and my mind) trying to arrange flowers and plan the bouquets. Art imitates life after all :’) I was inspired by their floral photoshoot and mentioned the flowers they used: daisies and Peruvian lilies. The chrysanthemum flower is a flower only used at funerals in Chinese culture, so I didn’t write those in. If ur interested, check out ur birthdate flower here! http://www.flower-korea.com/html/birth_flower.htm


End file.
